Washing machine appliances generally form wash and rinse fluids to clean clothing articles disposed within a wash basket of the appliance. The wash fluid can include, for example, water and various fluid additives, e.g., detergent, fabric softener, and/or bleach. The fluid additives can be mixed with water within a wash tub of the appliance to form the wash fluid. Various fluid additives may also be added to water to form the rinse fluid.
To introduce one or more fluid additives into the wash tub, a user can manually add the fluid additive to the wash tub and/or the wash basket. For example, after starting the appliance, the user can pour detergent directly into the wash basket. Conversely, certain washing machine appliances include features for receiving fluid additives and dispensing the fluid additives during operation of the appliance. For example, a fluid additive dispenser may be mounted to or directly beneath top panel of a vertical axis washing machine appliance that can receive a fluid additive and direct the fluid additive into a wash tub of the appliance. Similarly, a horizontal axis washing machine appliance can include a dispenser that receives a fluid additive and directs the fluid additive into a wash tub of the appliance. Such dispensers may contain one or more compartments for the receipt of one or more fluid additives. The dispenser also may include a shower plate for controlling the flow of water from one or more valves to the one or more compartments to flush the fluid additive contained therein.
During various cycles of the washing machine appliance, a volume of water also may be added to wash tub through a spray nozzle. Typically, the spray nozzle is a separate part including a water channel and nozzle that are welded together and connected to a valve of the washing machine appliance by a hose and clamps. Thus, for a typical washing machine appliance, the spray nozzle has several parts requiring multiple assembly operations and having several potential leak points, such as, e.g., the point at which the nozzle and water channel are joined, the point at which the water channel and hose are joined, and the point at which the hose and the valve are joined. Therefore, a spray nozzle requiring fewer parts could reduce the manufacturing time and expense of a washing machine appliance, as well as water leakage within the appliance.
Accordingly, a washing machine appliance having a fluid additive dispenser would be useful. More particularly, a washing machine appliance having a spray nozzle formed or molded in the shower plate of the fluid additive dispenser would be useful.